Railway-switch lock



A. G. GRANT AND J. J. FANNING.

RAILWAY SWITCH LOCK. APPLICATION FILED OCT. 18, I921.

Patented J uly 18, 1922.

ARTHUR G. GRANT AND JOHN J. FANNIIIG, 335 YARDLEY, WASHINGTON; SAIDLEANNING ASSIGNOR TO JQHN V. GBAITT, 0F

YARDLEY, WASHINGTON.

RAILV/"AY-SW'ITCH LOCK.

Lei-22,3963.

Application filed October 18, 1921.

To all to from it may concern Be it known that we, ARTHUR G. GRANT andJOHN J. FANNING, citizens of the United tates, residing at Yardley, inthe county of Spokane and State of lVashington, have in vented certainnew and useful Improvements in Railway-Switch Locks, of which thefollowing is a specification.

- Our present invention relates to improvements in railway switch locksfor use in connection with railway switches of that type includingswitch stands having a horizontal actuating lever fashioned with adrop-arm which falls or drops into a notch provided therefor in thelocking segment of the rotary switch actuating mechanism, and forming anautomatic locking mechanism for the switch.

The primary object of the invention is the provision of locking means,in combination with the pivoted drop lever, which is com pactlyarranged, comparatively simple in construction and operation, composedof a minimum number of parts, durable, and withal an eflicient andreliable mechanism for performing its required functions. By theutilization of our invention, the labor of switching trafficdevolvingupon the memhers of the train crew is rendered less difli cultin their manipulation of the switch mechanism, especially in coldweather when the brake'men are wearing gloves, as the lever may bemanipulated with facility, and will automatically reset itself in lockedposition when returned to normal condition.

In the accompanying drawings we have illustrated one complete example ofthe physical embodiment of our invention wherein the parts are combinedand arranged according to the best mode we have thus far devised for thepractical application of the principles of our invention.

Figure l is a view transversely of the railway, showing a well knowntype of switch stand having the subject matter of the present inventionembodied therein.

Figure 2 is an enlarged, detail plan view, showing the revoluble signalshaft in section, and illustrating the relation of the locking mechanismto the locking segment of the switch.

Figure 3 is a view in elevation as seen in Figure 2 when looking fromthe right.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 155, 1922.

Serial No; 538,563.

Figure 4 is a sectional view on line 4-t of F gure 5 through the lockhousing, showing also a portion of the spring pressed boltdevlce insection.

Figure 5 is a face view of the lock, the operating or switch leverdetached, and the front plate of the lock removed for convenience ofillustration.

Flgure tu' is a view in perspective of the switch lever, a portion ofthe handle being broken oiT.

1n the preferred form of the invention hs illustrated in the drawingsthe well known form of elevated signal and switch mechanism isillustrated in Fig. 1 where the switchstand l is shown in its relationto the tie 2 and the revoluble, upright signal shaft has the signals athereon. The stand is provided ith the usual circular disk or segment 5at the top thereof, and a portion of the operating mechanism 6 isindicated in connection with the switch 7.

Above the locking segment 5 of the stanl, is'located the head 8, that isrigidly secured to and revoluble with the shaft or upright post 3 of theswitch stand, and the head is provided with a horizontally disposed,lateral arm 9 projecting therefrom, and out to the periphery of thesegment for pivotally supporting the switch lever 10 at point 11 inthearm. The lever is thus pivoted to swing vertically on the pivot point11, and,

when in horizontal position, may be used to revolve the shaft 3 throughits connection with the arm 9 and head 8. At 9 the arm is slotted'toaccommodate the lever, and at 12 and 13 respectively the segment hasperipheral notches to receive the lever when the switch is closed andwhen it is open, or vice versa.

The mechanism for locking the lever with the switch in normal positionis enclosed within a housing 14, preferably an integral casting of thearm 9 and rising therefrom above the periphery of the locking segment.The slot 9 of the arm terminates at the opening 15 thereof, and thisopening merges into a vertically disposed slot 16 of the housing, thelever 10 being pivoted in the open ing 15, while the tongue 17 projectsangularly from the lever and is adapted to enter the slot 16, from therear of the lock. The

tongue 17 is in the form of a Wedge, having a sharpened edge 18, and anopening in the tongue is designed to receive the end of the springpressed bolt 20, the latter being adapted to pass transversely throughthe slot 16.

The bolt, as seen in Fig. 5, is disposed transversely and horizontallyin the housing, and involves in its construction a sleeve 21 in whichthe spring 22 is enclosed, and at the rear end of the bolt an extension23 is provided which is fixed in the housing. The spring normally urgesthe bolt toward the left in Fig. 5 to project its free end into the slot16, and of course when the tongue 17 of the switch lever is in normalposition as in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the free end of the bolt is passedthrough the orifice 19 of the tongue. As the lever drops or swingsdownwardly on its pivot 11 the wedge action of the tongue, as the tonguecontacts with the free end of the bolt, causes the bolt to be retractedwithin the housing, and when the orifice reaches position of alinementwith the bolt, the latter is projected therethrough, to lock the leverin position. The bolt may be retracted by the use of a switch key passedthrough the front plate 2 1 as seen in Fig. 8, which actuates the cam 25in Fig. 5, and throiwh the cam-piece 26 on the bolt-sleeve 21 tie boltis slid to the right in the latter figure to release the tongue of thelever.

Thus when a train or locomotive, and es pecially the former is to passthrough a switch, the front brakeman uses his key to retract the boltand release the lever, then swings the latter to horizontal position andturns the switch and signal device to dotted position as indicated inFig. 2, leaving the lever 10 in the notch 13 of the segment to hold themechanism in position. After the train has passed through the switch,the rear brakeman raises the lever from notch 18, swings the leveraround horizontally to close the switch, and the lever arm is thenpermitted to drop into the notch 12 -of the segment. As the lever dropsinto the notch of the segment, the tongue 17 is projected through theslot 16, retracting and resetting the bolt as described, thusautomatically locking the switch in its normal position.

The switch key is thus used only for the purpose of unlocking themechanism, and the lever may be manipulated with facility andconvenience by both brakemen without loss of time or unusual exertion,and the required functions of the locking device are performedautomatically and with re liability.

Having thus fully described our invention, what we claim as new anddesire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. The combination with a switchmechanism including' a notched segment and a head revoluble with therotatable shaft, of a slotted lateral arm on the head and a switch leverpivoted therein, a slotted housing on the arm and a spring pressed bolttherein, and an integral wedge shaped tongue having an orifice andprojecting from said lever adapted to enter the slotted housing andco-act with said bolt for locking the lever.

2. The combination in a switch lock with a notched segment, a revolubleshaft, a head thereon and a slotted arm on the head, of a drop leverpivoted in the slotted arm and provided with an integral angularlydisposed, wedge shaped, perforated tongue, a lock housing on the armhaving a vertically arranged slot to receive said perforated head, atransversely extending spring-pressed bolt in the housing adapted toenter said perforated tongue, and key actuated mechanism for retractingthe bolt.

In testimony whereof we affiX our sig natures.

A. Gr. GRANT. JOHN J. FANNING.

